Involuntary admission to hospital and treatment in Ontario: is pessimism among physicians warranted?

In 1978 the Ontario Mental Health Act was revised to contain more specific and objective criteria for involuntary admission to hospital and treatment. The new requirements have elicited critical and pessimistic comments from psychiatrists and other physicians in Ontario. Two recent cases, described in this paper, indicate that the changes in the law have not obstructed good clinical care and treatment and may, in fact, be salutary to the management of patients who are involuntarily admitted to hospital.